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The Idea of the Good Language Learner

Universität Bielefeld Fakultät für Linguistik und Literaturwissenschaft Wintersemester 2008/2009 Veranstaltung: Introduction to Second Language Acquisition Veranstalter: Nathan Devos. The Idea of the Good Language Learner. by Sedef Balkanli (1868845) Katharina Gercken (1657898)

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The Idea of the Good Language Learner

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  1. Universität BielefeldFakultät für Linguistik und LiteraturwissenschaftWintersemester 2008/2009Veranstaltung: Introduction to Second Language AcquisitionVeranstalter: Nathan Devos The Idea of the Good Language Learner by Sedef Balkanli (1868845) Katharina Gercken (1657898) Marten Siegmann (1874928)

  2. Contents • Overview: What makes up a successful learner? • Characteristics in Detail: • Intelligence • Aptitude • Learning Style • Personality • Motivation • Societal Setting

  3. The Language Learner

  4. An Example: Michael

  5. Skill-improvement is limited If Michael does not change his attitude, he will not be able to improve his conversational skills!

  6. Learner‘s success depends on … • … the different factors that influence the learner. • The variables do not cause but influence each other. Complex setting of all factors together

  7. Intelligence • Intelligence ≈ success in school • IQ-tests more strongly related to metalinguistic knowledge than to communicative ability • This kind of “intelligence“ may play a less important role in classrooms with CLT • Howard Gardner (1993): `multiple intelligences`

  8. Aptitude • John Carroll (1991) = “ability to learn quickly“ • Paul Meara (2005) developed tests: • Identify and memorize new sounds • Understand the function of particular words in sentences • Figure out grammatical rules from language sentences • Remember new words Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT)

  9. Aptitude • Communicative Approach => emphasis on communicative interaction • Leila Ranta (2002): no direct attention to grammar • Teachers supposed to ensure that their teaching activities are sufficiently varied to accomodate learners with different aptitude profiles.

  10. Learning Style • Reid (1995): Learning Style = an individual´ s natural, habitual, and preferred way of absorbing, processing, and retaining new information • `visual` learners • `aural` learners • `kinaesthetic` learners Encourage learners to use all means available to them!

  11. Personality • Extroverted vs. introverted person • Inhibition • Learner Anxiety (can be negative and/or positive) Peter MacIntyre (1995): ´because anxious students are focused both the task at hand and their reactions to it … [they] will not learn as quickly as relaxed students´ • Self-esteem, empathy, dominance, talkativeness, and responsiveness

  12. Motivation and attitudes • Integrative Motivation • Positive disposition towards SL group and the desire to interact with and even become a member of that community • Instrumental Motivation • Language learning is primarily associated with potential pragmatic gains of SL proficiency (e.g. getting a better job)

  13. Dörnyei‘s process model of motivation in a classroom • Choice motivation • Executive motivation • Motivation retrospection see overhead-projector

  14. Motivation in the classroom(Graham Crookes & Richard Schmidt) • Motivating students into the lesson • Varying the activities, tasks, and materials • Using co-operative rather than competitive goals

  15. Identity and ethnic group affiliation • Social factors can affect motivation, attitudes and language learning success • Instrumental and integrative motivation do not capture the complex relations of power, identity and language learning • Adjudged to be less loyal to their ethnic group

  16. Learner beliefs • Learners believe they know the best way to learn • Can be strong factors in experience in a classroom • “Virtually all students express a desire to have their errors corrected.“ (Renate Schulz)

  17. Exam Questions • Do learner‘s variables cause or do they influence each other? • What is the connection between social life and the process of language learning? • What is "learner anxiety" and how does it influence second language learning? • What is meant by "aptitude" and how is this term related to second language learning? • What is meant by instrumental and integrative motivation?

  18. Sources • Lightbrown, Patsy M., and Nina Spada. How Languages are Learned. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. • Dörnyei, Zoltán. Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

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